A new smartphone purchase is exciting but what phone should you choose. Here are some tips on what to look for and consider.
– The Display
If you are like the majority of us, you usually spend many hours a day staring at the screen of our smartphones. Ensure that you buy a phone that offers enough brightness to see clearly when you are outdoors. It should also be sharp enough so that the text doesn’t appear blurry when you go online.
If the phone features one of the larger screens, avoid going for a resolution that is under 1920 X 1080p. If you are able to splurge, look out for the 2560 X 1440 Quad HD resolutions which are sharper. Think about the size of the screen as well. It is easy to reach across the screen? Do you prefer larger screens to watch a movie or smaller screens that you can hold onto, without having to worry that it will fall or drop from your hands?
– The Battery
When you are ready to buy a new Smartphone ask people that own these phones or read up on reviews to find out more about the battery. You need a battery that will last for the entire day when possible. The most common complaint that I hear from family and friends is associated with poor battery performance when it comes to their phones. If you are one of these people, look for a Smartphone that features a fast-charging battery. Many of the manufacturers of Android Smartphones, now include specialized chargers with these phones that can provide the phone with 50% charge or more, within a few minutes. If you prefer iPhones, you may want to consider an iPad charger to charge your phone faster.
– Storage
Many people make the mistake of buying a cheap phone just to save some money. Yet these phones usually lack in the department of storage. I personally suggest looking for Smartphones that come with a minimum of 64GB of storage, especially when you have plans to download movies or music. The apps are a lot larger these days, while photos and pictures take up lots of space when you are not storing them in the Cloud (Google Photos, Apple Photos) or any other service that provides these options. Certain brands of Android Smartphones offer “microSD” card slots which offer an easy way to increase your storage space.
– The Camera
If you enjoy sharing images with family and friends, the phone should come with a decent camera. Many of the expensive phones like the iPhone X and the Galaxy S9 are especially adept when it comes to taking photos in lower light. This means that you can still obtain great pictures in a setting like a dim restaurant without having to use a flash. The budget Smartphones don’t usually feature good cameras, so you may need to spend more on your phone if this feature is important.
– Age
You may be tempted into buying an older-model or refurbished Smartphone to save some money. Yet there are a few considerations to keep in mind. If the phone is older than 2 to 3 years, it may stop receiving software updates along with security patches. In addition, as the apps start increasing in size and power, the memory and processor might not offer sufficient power in order to run photo-editing software or the latest games. If you just use your phone to check emails or send texts, then an older or refurbished phone can work for you.
– The Reputation Of The Company
When possible, conduct your own research on the brand and company that produces the Smartphones that you are interested in. LG, Samsung, Apple, and many of the other well-known names are usually a safer bet. Others like OnePlus, Huawei, and Blu, which are known for selling flagship Smartphones that are more “affordable” have received a lot of negative feedback for different reasons. The U.S intelligence agencies have advised against purchasing Smartphones from companies like Huawei, while OnePlus and Blu were caught sending data regarded as private back to their headquarters.
Apple has a good rep in this regard so if it concerns you take a look at these iPhone 11 pro deals.
– The Rest
Finally, think about anything else that you find important in a phone. Does the phone come with stereo speakers? The high-end phones like the Galaxy S9 and iPhone Galaxy have speakers that allow you to listen to audio from both the bottom and top (or right and left when you play games or watch movies). Does the phone support a feature like wireless charging? This is a super convenient feature that allows you to place the phone onto a pad next to your bed or on your desk at work.
Does the phone comes with a jack for headphones or will you need an adapter for a wired headset or Bluetooth headphones? Does the phone support the latest 5G networks? The wireless carriers in the U.S are about to introduce much faster networks over the course of this year, which will mean you will be able to download files, games, and apps, a lot faster than before.
